Method of removing draft gear



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2,853,774 METHOD OF REMOVIN G DRAFT GEAR Bertil E. Peterson, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Cardwell Westinghouse Company, a corporation of Delaware Application August 12, 1955, Serial No. 528,077

3 Claims. (Cl. 29-427) My invention relates to a method of removing draft gear, and more particularly, to a method that may be employed to remove a draft gear and yoke as a unit from the draft gear pocket of railroad cars and the like.

Heretofore removal of draft gear from the draft gear pocket of railroad cars has been a diicult and tedious operation due to the fact that the draft gear must be compressed before it can be removed from between the draft gear lugs or stops it cooperates with. Not only must enormous pressure be applied to the draft gear to compress same, but working space limitations are at a minimum.

While several forms of jack devices have been devised for compressing draft gear preparatory for removal of same, they require that the draft gear be specially formed to receive spacer rods, bolts, or the like to maintain the draft gear compressed after the device has been removed. This has been necessary because these jack devices of prior practices were positioned outside of the car centersills, and included either element engaging portions extending inwardly toward the draft gear and other structure normally mounted between the centersills, or engaged between draft elements positioned outwardly of the centersills, such as the coupler and striking plate. To permit removal of the draft gear, the jack devices of prior practices had to be released and withdrawn from between the centersills, or removed from the draft structure disposed outwardly thereof, since the car frame member that normally supports the coupler carrier would interfere with one or more of the members being removed, if the draft gear were lowered with the jack holding same in compressed relation.

The principal object of the invention is to provideA a method for aiding in removing draft gear that may be applied on all types of draft gear rather than to ljust special types of draft gear.

Another primary object of the invention is to provide a method of removing draft gear that permits the draft gear to be eifectively compressed and yet permits the draft gear to be removed without having to release the jack.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method of removing draft gear wherein a jack device is inserted as a whole between the arms of the yoke and applied between the front follower and the draft key openings in the yoke, and wherein the jack device is operated to compress the draft gear between the inner and outer ends of the yoke and permit removal of the draft gear, yoke and jack as a unit.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a simple but effective method of removing a draft gear from a draft gear pocket.

In accordance with the principles of the invention, I provide a jack device comprising a screw element provided with a rotatably mounted pressure block, head or plate on one end thereof and a hex end on the other end thereof. A nut is screwthreadedly mounted on said screw element, said nut having a pair of diametrically opposed arms pivoted thereto at like ends of the arms.

The other ends of the arms are biased away from the nut by biasing means. The device is inserted between the arms of the yoke after the draft key and coupler have been removed, with the said pressure head or plate being placed in contact with the front follower and the said other ends of the arms being placed in engagement with the outer ends of the draft key slots. An extension element then may be applied to the hex end of the screw element and uponiapplication of a suitable wrench or other type of leverage applying device to the outwardly extending end of the extension device, the screw element is turned to apply opposing forces to the front follower and the yoke, respectively, to -compress the draft gear. Assuming that the draft gear carrier iron has rst beenremoved from beneath the draft gear pocket, the draft. gear, the yoke, and the jack device may then be removed by lowering same as a unit from the draft gear pocket.A

Other objects, uses and advantages will be obvious or' become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the drawings.

ln the drawings:

Figure l is a horizontal section through familiar parts of a freight car, with the coupler and draft key removed, illustrating one form of my invention applied between the front follower and the outer end of the yoke;

Figure 2 is a vertical section through the elements shown in Figure 1, with parts shown in elevation;

Figure 3 is a view similar to that of Figure 1, but on a larger scale and more particularly illustrating my jack device with the extension element and a suitable wrench Vapplied thereto; and

Figure 4 isa side elevational view of the elements shown in Figure 3, with parts broken away.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 1 and 2, I have diagrammatically illustrated center sills 10 of a conventional railroad freight car frame which provide a standard draft gear pocket 12 under which is mounted a carrier iron 14 riveted to the center sills at 16 to support the conventional draft gear 18 in the draft gear pocket. The draft gear 18 and front follower 20 are Shown surrounded by the vertical yoke 22 that is conventionally connected by a draft key (not shown) positioned in slots 24 formed in the yoke, to the shank of a coupler indicated in broken lines at 30. Also shown is a striking plate 21, secured to the end of the center sills 10,` that is adapted to be contacted by a striking horn (not shown) on the coupler. Inner and outer pairs of stop lugs 32 and 34 are fixed to the center sills 10, and in the illustrated arrangement, the inner end of the draft gear is in contact with the inner lugs 32 while the front follower Ztl is in contact with the outer lugs 34 when the gear is not subjected to either draft or buing forces.

Reference numeral 35 generally indicates oneform of my invention applied between the front follower 20 and the slots 24 formed in the yoke 22. As shown more particularly in Figure 3, the illustrated device comprises a screw element 36 having rotatably mounted on the inner end thereof a pressure block, head, or plate 38 that is positioned in contact with the front follower 20. In the illustrated embodiment, the head or plate 38 is secured to screw element 36 by a bolt 40 screw-threadedly received in a hole 42 formed in the end of said element 36v which is of less effective depth than the distance between the bottom of recess 44 formed in the plate or head 38.

(in which the bolt head is received) and the end of the bolt, so that when the bolt is tightened into place, the head or plate 38 will be rotatably mounted rather than xedly mounted.

48.'a d apted; to lne-engaged-:in extension element S0 more completely deseribed.hereinafter.y

A nut 52 is received on the screw element 36 which is formed with a pair of diametrically opposed flanges 54.-, eachhaving-1; agsirnilarz slots-5,6 ;formed tl1erein. Di-

ametrcally; ppcrsed. .armsx5,8 :are pivoted 1in.; eachaslot 56- by.y pinsg, 60., respectively/, saidgarmSrS their: inwardly; directed ends;

eingli pivoted at springf steel, elementsv 62, secured'ftoa they nut 52:i as'- byi screw.y 64. Theoutwardlydireetedgffendsfgof the ,f arms 53 areformed with angled notches- 165 TheI device-,SSfrriay include extension element 5o Jwhich merely comprisesA aEv bar` dfsuilieiently long to extend from ,the outer end tof: screw -element61V-routwardly, of the draft'A gear pocket and. formed ,withheld shaped recessA suitable jack placed underthefdraft gear 18, thedraftf key andcoupler are removed. The. screw element-36v with the pressure block, headorplate,SSattaChed thereto and the nut 52 mounted thereongas shownain FiguresA 1.and ,3 is then inserted into the Vspace, aheadofthe draft gear pocketand urged inwardly until `the .pressure.block, head or plate 3 8 contacts the, front follower. 58 will be horizontally disposed on fbeing,rins er ted be-, tween, the arms of yokef22v4 and willbe pivotedtoward each' other approximately as shownA in dotted lines, inv Figure 3 upon engaging the outer, end gof ,the yoke. The

nut 52 should initially bescrewedtoward thepressure, head or, plate 38 sufficiently so that outwardlyextending,

ends of arms 58 snap into the. respectiveyokeslots 24 before the head or plate 38 contacts the-front follower.

Thefclick of the arms 58snapping into slots 24 advisesthe operator that the device is in position for operation.v The protuberance67 and flat surfaces 69 and71 of the arms and nut respectively, prevent the. armsfrom slipping when the load is applied to them.

The screw element 36V is thereupon, turned, as by eX- tension element t) being applied to the hex end thereof, andjwrench 70 applied to the element 50. By turning the screw element so that the nut moves outwardly of the pressure head or plate 3S, the yoke and follower plate are urged in opposite directions, thus compressing the draft gear. The draft gear, yoke, and jack may then be lowered as a unit from the draft gear pocket. It will be noted from Figure 2` that the screw element does not extend over the frame member 75 which ordinarily carries the coupler carrier not shown). This permits the draft gear, the, yoke and the device 35 to be lowered as a unit without removing the device 35 or releasing the draft gear.

It will be appreciated that the device `35 is adapted to be used toi compress any conventional draft gear, and that fno modication vorspecialization of the draft `gear or `any of the elements vemployed in connection therewith is required.

as shown.,Indrepar,fl ticularlyg, in, Figure 3, which,renderthemeadapted=to;eI1:`

The arms:

The device 35, with the exception of springs 62, may be formed,of. amild steel,or other suitable substance, The threads in element 36 may be of any design capable of developing the thrust.

While a screw type of jack has been illustrated, I contemplate that other forms of jacks may be employed to practice my method, the important thing being that the jack used be arrangedlsoV that it may be applied between the` front follower andthe draftkey slots formed in the yoke and yet permit the draft gear and yoke to be removed as-azunitawhen the draft geariscompressed.' However, in View'of-thespace'limitations involved, it has beenfound that thelillustrated jack is highly satisfactory.

The foregoing descriptionandthe,drawings are given merely to explain and illustrate my invention, and the manner in which it may be performed, and the invention is not to be limited thereto, except insofar as the appended-claimsaresorlmited since those skilled ,inzthe :art who have my disclosurebefore them `will'beable to make modifications and variations; therein `without departingrl cling yoke-fromadraftigearzpocket in which the yoke f andgeararesupportedubyga carrier iron,` said gear including,a front follower, saidfyokehaving its Outer end connected to-,a ;coupler through a vdraft key, said method includingfthe;stepsiof.removingjhedraft key and coupler, applying opposing forces to the `outer end of the yoke and therouter face of theffrontffollower to compress the draft gear `against,therinner'end of theyyoke, and maintaining thedraftgearn thus compressed in theyoke while lower ing-:the-yokeand ldraft gearzfromthe pocket as a unit, said,

method includingthe step .of'removing the carrier iron before loweringthe yoke anddraft gear from the pocket` 2.,Theamethodyfof,removingt draft ygear from a draft gear pocketwhereitis supported by a draft gear carrier ironand is Voperzratiwely connected by` a. yoke, which en- Compasses, at `leasta part o-f-thegean 'to a eouplerthrougn agdraftl key, said methodincluding the steps of removing thedraftkey, coupler andy draft :gearcarrier iron, jacking the frontend.ofjthegearvawayfrom the outer end of the yoke,fthereby compressingthedraft gear, and whilemaintaining the. draft gearV socomprressed, lowering the yoke and` draft gear from the: pocket as annit.

3. The methodlofrernoying a draft gear from a draft f gearv pocket. where. it-is supported by a draft gear carrier iron and.,ist-operatively connected by a yoke, which encompasses at least a part of the gear,` to a. coupler through a `draftkey, said;method. including the steps of removing the draft key, coupler anddraft gear carrier iron, jacking the .yoke and draft gear inropposite directions to shorten the draft gear, and while maintaining the draft gear within. the yoke/and so shortened, lowering the yoke and draft gear. from the .pocket as. `a unit.

References Ctedin thele of this patent UNITED STATES 4PATENTS 1,601,321 Picos- Sept. 28, 1926 1,684,226. lohnson- Sept. 11, 1928l 1,750,702 Carl- Mar. 18, 1930 1,858,238 Cornwell= May 17, 1932 2,470,262' Payzer-f Mayl7, 1949 2,487,902 tout Nov.l5, 1949 2,684,527 Hedlund July 27, 1954 

